Pride in Sarah Bryant - an awesome soldier

She died doing the job she loved. As tributes poured in to Sarah Bryant, the first female soldier killed in Afghanistan, her husband spoke movingly today of his grief at the death of "my beautiful Sarah" - but also his pride in the woman he called "an awesome soldier".

Carl Bryant - like Sarah, a corporal in Army intelligence - said in a statement issued today: "Although I am devastated beyond words at the death of my beautiful wife Sarah, I am so incredibly proud of her.

"She was an awesome soldier who died doing the job that she loved. My wife knew the risks, she was there because she wanted to be, and she wouldn't have had it any other way.

"She was funny, kind and the most amazing person to be around. I will never stop being thankful for the time I spent as her husband. I love her now and always, with all my heart, as do her proud parents, friends and family.

"My wife was a truly special person who died a hero. Sarah, as with all our fallen, must never be forgotten." Sarah and Carl had been long-time sweethearts and planned to spend the rest of their lives together.

But on Tuesday those hopes and dreams were shattered when Sarah, 26, and three SAS soldiers were killed in a roadside bomb blast which ripped their Land Rover apart.

At the family home in Cumbria, her father Des Feely evoked the words of Winston Churchill as he paid tribute to his daughter.

"There are so many people both in the military and locally where she grew up that are not only going to be touched by this but also devastated at the loss of such a beautiful girl," he said.

"Nothing much seems to have changed since the days of Churchill's famous speech. Never have so many owed so much to so few.

"We truly have lost the 'Angel of the North'. God bless to Sarah."

Sarah set her heart on joining the Army at an early age. "Ever since she was a schoolgirl it was her dream to be a soldier," Mr Feely said.

He and his wife Maureen were "absolutely devastated to have lost the beautiful daughter we adored. But I know that at least Sarah died doing the job she loved and for a cause she believed in.

"She was due to fly back next month but now she'll be coming back to be buried with military honours at the church in nearby Wetheral where she was married two years ago."

She joined the Army in 2002 as a member of the Intelligence Corps, and did two six-month tours in Iraq. She went to Afghanistan in March this year to work in Psyops - Psychological Operations - where she used her knowledge of the local Pashtu language to monitor Taliban telephone and walkie-talkie communications. Family friend Dave Shepherd, 59, said: "Sarah was absolutely beautiful. A really, really lovely girl. Her father absolutely worshipped the ground she walked on.

"Sarah was extremely careerminded. She always wanted to be in the Army and was totally driven toward it. She was destined for the top."

Described on the MoD website as "utterly professional, tenacious and reliable", she had been marked out for potential commissioning but had indicated that she wanted to go through the ranks.

Her commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel Jim Suggit, said: "Sarah had the brightest future ahead of her, both in her career - where she had been pre-selected for promotion - and her personal life.

"She was a beautiful young woman and also an utterly professional, extremely adept Psyops operator, who was highly regarded by all who knew her. She had courage, passion and flair for the role she was undertaking, engaging with the people of Helmand Province and trying to give them hope and confidence that they might eventually enjoy peace, progress and prosperity.

"We mourn her, we salute her and we will remember the sparkle she brought to us all. She will live eternally in our thoughts and be ever named in our prayers."